Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace believes he’s the fastest player in the NFL and he’s willing to
“Without a doubt, I’m the fastest player in the NFL,” Wallace told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “If somebody feels foggy about that, we can (race). I’m never going to back down from competition.”
The NFL used to hold an annual competition for the title of the “NFL’s Fastest Man,” but it was discontinued after 2007. Wallace, a former third round pick out of Ole Miss, didn’t enter the league until 2009.
The 28-year-old wide out is still in his prime, but every player loses a step or two as they age. Nevertheless, Wallace, who says his personal best in the 40-yard dash is 4.21 seconds, still feels he can outrun anyone in the NFL.
“I’ve run a lot of routes and I’ve got a lot of miles on my legs, but I still feel that there’s nobody (in the NFL) who can run with me,” Wallace said. “I might have slowed down a little but I could still run 4.25.”
Chris Johnson, a current free agent who beat in cheetah in a race a couple of years ago, holds the record for the fastest 40-yard dash (4.24 seconds) in the history of the NFL scouting combine.
Without a bonafide competition, it’s impossible to determine the fastest player in the league.
But Wallace, one of the NFL’s top deep threat receivers, is certainly in the conversation for the title.
“Obviously, Mike is extremely fast and he gets up to speed quickly,” Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He can just seemingly step on the accelerator. … As for the fastest, there’s also the kid from Buffalo Marquise Goodwin and DeSean Jackson. But I wouldn’t bet against (Wallace).”
“The fastest receiver I ever went against was Mike Wallace by far,” Cardinals star cornerback Patrick Peterson said last November on the Dan Patrick Show.
The Miami Dolphins traded Wallace to the Vikings for just a fifth round in mid-March, primarily because of his massive contract, so-called diva attitude (which is not uncommon among NFL receivers) and underwhelming on-field performance, which some argue was partially due to quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s inability to take advantage of Wallace’s top-notch speed by misfiring on deep throws downfield.
But Wallace, who averaged 12.8 yards per catch during his two seasons with the Dolphins after averaging 19.0 and 21.4 YPR during his two 1,000-yard seasons with the Steelers, didn’t point the finger at Tannehill.
“There are a lot of things I could have done better and there are things some other people could have done better,” Wallace said. “When you separate, you still have to connect. … But I’m not going to blame Tannehill. He’s a great guy, a great worker. I’ll take the blame. It’s my fault. I’ll do better.
“The last couple of years I haven’t been able to showcase my separation, but I’m positive that it will happen now.”
Like Tannehill, Vikings starting signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater struggles a bit with the deep ball, but both quarterbacks are among only five of 17 QBs drafted in the first round since 2009 who have established themselves as franchise quarterbacks. The other three are Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton.
Wallace should have a big impact as a big-play receiver in Norv Turner’s downfield passing attack, but his production will be capped due to the presence of Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jarius Wright, rookie Stefon Diggs, tight end Kyle Rudolph and running backs Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata.
In six NFL seasons, Wallace has caught 375 passes for 5,834 yards with 47 touchdowns with the Steelers (2009-12) and Dolphins (2013-present). He’s also rushed for 200 yards on 27 carries.
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